Have you heard the popular saying that “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”. Well, if we think logically, it truly makes sense to follow it. We need something healthy and satisfying in the morning that keeps us going all day long. Dinners should be light as our energy usage is almost zero because of zero physical activity at night. But we generally do the opposite. Because of the busy life schedules, especially in the mornings when we want to leave early for the work to avoid the traffic or we need to get the children ready for the school or we wake up a little late and don’t have time to prepare breakfast, we tend to either skip the meal entirely or eat a very unbalanced quick meal. I personally have stopped doing this and try to eat a mindful balanced morning meal everyday. Yes, this quick 5 minutes bowl is what I have most of the days in the morning to kickstart my day.

For this bowl rich of goodness, you need instant oats. I use organic gluten free oatmeal. I simply mix it in water with protein powder and sprinkle some fruits, nuts, chia seeds and flax seeds on it. I am a vegetarian due to which my protein intake is much less than the recommended quantities. So I compensate some of my protein from my plant based protein powder which comes in vanilla and chocolate flavor.

Quick Recipe:

1/2 cup of boiled water (you can add more water depending on the consistency you like)
1/4 cup of instant organic gluten free oatmeal
1 scoop of plant based protein powder (I like chocolate flavor)

Mix everything together and then top it with: — fruits (I like to put mixed berries and banana), nuts and superfood seeds

1/2 medium sized banana
10-12 blue berries
3-4 black berries
3-4 raspberries
3-4 almonds
2-3 walnuts
1 tsp of chia seeds
1 tsp of flax seeds

Nutritional Benefits

• The Oats are gluten free grain, packed with minerals, vitamins and antioxidants; rich in fiber and protein compared to other grains; helps with lowering blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels. However, inspite of all these benefits, they contain phytic acid which impairs the absorption of certain minerals and irritates the stomach and gut. So its advised to soak the oats in water overnight which helps in reducing the phytic acid content.
• Chia seeds and Flax seeds are the superfoods packed with fiber, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, minerals and vitamins. Chia seeds are a great source of calcium as well.
• Berries (black berries, blue berries, raspberries) are also packed with nutrients, good source of fiber and antioxidants.
• Bananas provide carbohydrate, protein and variety of vitamins and minerals.
• Almonds and Walnuts are again good sources of protein, fiber, minerals and good fats.

You might have noticed that this bowl is full of fiber and protein which keeps you satiated due to which you consume less calories and it helps in losing weight. But do not forget that excess of anything is bad. Moderation is the key in preparing any meal.

The caloric intake from this meal is about 450 calories. It keeps me satiated for about good 4-5 hrs till my lunch time. It tastes like chocolate kheer (pudding) to me. Sometimes I just wait for my mornings to eat this delicious bowl of goodness.

Caution: Some people are allergic to some nuts, fruits, or even oats. Please check your allergies before making this meal.